Maryland AG issues cease and desist letter to group for alleged violations of election laws

BALTIMORE -- Maryland's Attorney General is issuing a cease and desist letter ordering a nonprofit organization to stop sending letters to Maryland voters that threaten to publicly expose those registered voters who do not vote in this year's election.

The AG's Office also ordered the Center for Voter Information/Voter Participation Center (CVI/VPC), located in Washington, D.C., to refrain from sending threatening communications in the future and to agree not to follow through on threats to embarrass non-voters by publishing that information to their neighbors.

A mailer from the Center for Voter Information claims to have information on whether you voted in elections since 2016.

The group says that whether you vote is public record, and that's true, but Attorney General Anthony Brown said these letters are a form of intimidation.

"Voting is among the most important rights that Marylanders have. Any action that intimidates prospective voters, especially on the eve of such a consequential election, will not be tolerated," said Attorney General Brown. "Let me be clear: these unnerving letters are unacceptable, and Maryland voters should know that their decision to vote this Election Day is entirely theirs to make." 

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the State Board of Elections (SBE) received several complaints about letters sent by the CVI/VPC, claiming to be "Voting Report Cards." The letters identified whether the recipients voted in each of the last four elections and compared the recipients' voting histories to the voting records of two of their neighbors who live on the same street. In the letters, the names and street numbers of the neighbors are redacted.  

The letters state, in part: "We're sending this mailing to you and to your neighbors to share who does and does not vote in an effort to promote election participation. While we have hidden the name and street number of your neighbors to protect privacy, these are true voting records." 

"We will be reviewing these records after the election to determine whether or not you joined our neighbors in voting."